Beating the odds – Premature twins a miracle for couple

Nick Pryor and Alexis Host do. Every day the Tuscarawas County couple thank God for their twin girls, Charlee and Lennix, who were born 24 weeks and one day into Host's pregnancy.

Jim HaynesTimes-Reporter staff writer

AKRON Do you believe in miracles?

Nick Pryor and Alexis Host do. Every day the Tuscarawas County couple thank God for their twin girls, Charlee and Lennix, who were born 24 weeks and one day into Host's pregnancy.

Their doctors had told the couple that the girls' odds of survival weren't good. In fact, a study conducted by the University of Maryland Medical Center, states that infants born between 23 and 25 weeks have less than a 50 percent chance of survival. Those who do survive face a critical, endless battle to overcome complications due to their prematurity.

That was six months ago. Since then, Charlee and Lennix have managed to survive 12 surgeries between them and have gotten stronger while staying in Akron Children's Hospital's Neonatal Intensive Care Unit.

COMPLICATIONS

When Host and Pryor learned they were going to have a baby they were ecstatic, even more so when they learned they were having twins.

But their joy turned to panic after Host attended a regular exam and learned she was having complications. When her condition didn't improve a week later, she was admitted to Aultman Hospital in Canton.

The situation for mother and daughters became more perilous as time passed, and on May 11, Host was rushed to the operating room.

"We were told that from the moment they press the emergency button, the doctors have only two minutes to get to the operating room and only 10 minutes to deliver the babies, and that's it," Pryor recalled.

He had wanted to be with her to witness the birth of his first children, but was made to wait outside instead.

Pryor escorted her, but had to wait outside.

"Waiting was horrible. I was pacing, trying to call people, and no one was telling me what was going on," he said. "Then 15 minutes later, out came Lennix in an Isolet and then Charlee after that. That 15 minutes felt like a lifetime."

Host said the first thought on her mind during those moments was of the babies' survival. Lennix weighed 1 pound 6 ounces at birth, while Charlee weighed in at just 1 pound 1 ounce.

"I just kept thinking 'are my babies going to survive?', then I remember the nurse telling me that I'm going to take a nap for a little while. When I woke up about three hours later, I had no recollection of being pregnant or having the babies, all I knew is that I was in pain and wanted meds," she recalled. "But the best moment was when I was able to see my babies and thinking they are the prettiest one pound babies I've ever laid eyes on."

The new parents longed to hold their children, but were made to wait for days.

"I didn't get to hold Lennix until four days after she was born, and for Charlee it was a week and a half. It wasn't a typical 'hold'. You have to do what they call 'kangaroo care,' so I would snuggle them in my bra, all wrapped up in covers and blankets so they would stay warm, and they would lay on my chest," Host said.

For Pryor, the feeling of holding his children for the first time was magical.

"I didn't get to hold them the first time that Alexis did, because I couldn't do the 'kangaroo care,' but when I finally did get to hold them, the feeling was amazing," Pryor said. "To actually hold something that could fit in the palm of my hand ... living, breathing, was the greatest thing in the world."

The girls still had a long road to recovery ahead. Since their birth May 11, the twins have undergone 12 extensive surgeries ranging from a segmental bowel resection to a tracheostomy. Host and Pryor were told to prepare themselves because their daughters might not survive.

"When you see them wheeling your babies to surgery, not knowing if they will survive, was so heartbreaking,"Host said.

"You feel so helpless and all you can do is pray for the best," Pryor added.

It has been the little milestones along the difficult journey that have helped the family keep the faith.

"The first major milestone was when they finally opened their eyes." said Host. "Because as a parent, when a baby is born, you expect numerous things to happen. You expect them to open their eyes, cry, move around and breathe. Our girls didn't exactly do all of those things. For Lennix, it took a couple of days to open her eyes and for Charlee it took about a week," Host added. "You really appreciate that moment because it seemed like they really came to life at that point."

Those moments and others that followed have filled Host and Pryor with an immense gratitude.

Host and Pryor give a lot of credit to the staff of doctors and nurses at Akron Children's and Aultman who have worked to keep their daughters alive.

"They never get enough credit for what they do," Host said. "They are just like family to us. They have been amazing from day one."

They also have learned to draw strength from each other and have relied on their friends and family for support especially Host's mother.

"She has been by our side from day one and I appreciate her more than she will ever know," Host said.

Host said she was also overwhelmed by the thoughts and well wishes of complete strangers who have sent anonymous cards and gifts and started prayer chains as far as Florida. She and Pryor are also grateful to God for their daughters' continued recovery.

"First and foremost, I want to thank God, because without Him none of this would be possible to get through," Pryor said.

Host agrees.

"Miracles do happen," she said. "It's tough to believe in this situation that it's going to be OK, but at the end of the day, these are two miracles that a lot of people told us weren't going to make it. When life is down and it seems it won't get any better, just hold on and trust that it will. We can speak true to that because we're living it and things are getting better day by day and it will continue to get better."

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